On this page
Yes: every real estate ad in Dubai on Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp needs a Trakheesi permit, including lead-generation ads that show no specific property. The permit is issued by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) to the RERA-licensed broker or the developer, never to the agency, and its number must appear on the ad.
The DLD lists “Electronic advertisements” and “Promotional campaigns” among its 14 permit types. Its official fee is AED 1,000 + AED 20 (“Other Permits”), or AED 5,000 for a project launch event, with processing in one working day.
Not legal advice. General information checked against the sources linked here. Fees and validity periods differ between official and secondary sources; we say where. Your broker’s DLD account is the final word for your listing.
Most Trakheesi guides are written for brokers: how to log in, which documents to upload. This one is for the people who build the ad: in-house marketers, agencies and freelancers running Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp campaigns for Dubai real estate.
Your job is not to get the permit. Your job is to make sure no creative goes live without it.
Trakheesi in one paragraph
Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) system that issues advertising permits for real estate. The permit is issued per property (or per campaign or event, depending on the permit type), to a RERA-licensed broker or the developer. When a broker applies, the DLD asks for a copy of the marketing contract with the property owner for the permit types that need it. The output is a permit number that must appear on the advertisement. Since 15 April 2023, DLD Circular 02-2023 requires the Madmoun QR code on property ads “whether in print or audio-visual format”.
Sources: DLD Real Estate Ad Permit · DLD on Madmoun · Bayut agent guide · Dubizzle
The 14 permit types on the DLD page
The DLD’s own list, as written on its e-service page (read on 2026-11-03). The two that matter most for social media are in bold.
Newspaper advertisements · SMS advertisements · Outdoor advertisements · Vehicle advertisements · Printed advertisements · Electronic advertisements · Billboard advertisements · Promotional campaigns · Open house events · Classified advertisements · Organizing real estate exhibitions · Project launch events · Real estate promotion platforms · Real estate seminars.
The page doesn’t name Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp. Social media ads are electronic ads, and a lead-generation campaign is a promotional campaign: which of the two your broker picks for a given ad is their call in the DLD system.
Who applies, and who doesn’t
| Role | Applies for Trakheesi? |
|---|---|
| RERA-licensed broker / brokerage | Yes, through their DLD account |
| Developer (for its own project) | Yes, for the permit types that apply to it |
| Marketing agency, freelancer, media buyer | No. Cannot apply on the broker’s behalf |
If an agency tells you “we’ll handle your Trakheesi”, ask how. They can remind you, check the number and place it on the creative. They can’t issue it.
What every property creative must carry
Use this as a pre-launch checklist for each ad that shows a specific property or project.
- The Trakheesi permit number, legible, in the image or video and/or in the ad copy. If the ad has several formats (feed, story, reel), check each one: the crop can cut it off.
- The Madmoun QR code issued with the permit. DLD Circular 02-2023 requires it on property ads “whether in print or audio-visual format”; a social ad is visual, so put it on every creative.
- The advertiser’s identity: brokerage name as licensed.
- Details that match the permit: price, size, location and type must be the ones submitted. If the price changes, the ad changes.
- No invented attributes: no “sea view” or “high floor” that isn’t in the listing, no rental yield claims (they can be treated as investment promotion, which has its own regulator: the Capital Market Authority, formerly SCA).
- A creative ID on your side so you can trace which permit belongs to which ad when you duplicate ad sets.
On WhatsApp, the same logic applies to the property message: if you send a buyer a specific listing, that listing should be one with a valid permit, with the reference that matches it.
The same goes for portals. Property Finder’s terms require anyone who lists to “obtain and possess necessary permits to market and publish the Listings”, so the permit you need for Instagram is the one the portal expects too. What portals themselves cost is in what Property Finder and Bayut cost a developer.
Lead-generation ads need a permit too
This is the part most guides skip, and it changes how you plan a campaign.
Trakheesi is not only for listings. The DLD/RERA Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide 2024 says brokerages “must obtain a permit for any real estate advertisement or marketing material through the Trakheesi system”, and that “the permit number must be displayed on the ad”. Its list includes electronic ads and promotional campaigns.
So lead-generation campaigns also need a permit; ask your broker. That includes ads like these:
- “Looking for a 2-bed in Dubai Marina? Tell us your budget and we’ll send three options that fit.” (No building, no unit, no price.)
- “Selling your villa in Arabian Ranches? Get a valuation from a RERA-licensed agent.” (Owner acquisition, no listing.)
- A brokerage brand ad (our reading of “any marketing material”).
When it becomes a property ad. The moment the creative shows a named project, a building, a unit, a floor plan, a render of a specific property or a price, it is a property ad and carries that property’s permit. “2-bed in Marina Gate from AED 2.3M” is a property ad. So is a reel walking through one apartment.
What we couldn’t confirm. Which permit type and fee your broker’s DLD system shows for a generic campaign. Ask before launch. It is faster than arguing about it after a takedown.
And the buyer still needs to receive permitted listings afterwards: if your lead-gen ad promises “three options”, those three must be real, permitted properties. Where those leads come from, and what each channel costs, is in real estate lead sources in Dubai.
Off-plan launches
Off-plan campaigns are where marketing teams get caught out, because the creative is about a project, not a resale unit.
- The developer or appointed broker applies for the permit type that matches the activity: project advertising, launch event, exhibition.
- The official DLD page lists a Project Launch Event Permit at AED 5,000.
- Every launch creative (renders, payment-plan graphics, countdowns) carries the permit number issued for that project.
The full launch sequence, from escrow to the first ad, is in how to sell off-plan property in Dubai.
Fees, timing and validity: what the sources say
| Item | Official DLD page (read 2026-11-03) | Secondary sources |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | “Other Permits: AED 1,000” + “AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation Fee”; “Project Launch Event Permit: AED 5,000” | ~AED 220 per listing permit |
| Processing | “1 Working Day” | One working day |
| Validity | Not stated | Not confirmed in a source we link; ask your broker |
| Payment | Credit card, E-Dirham or Noqodi wallet | — |
| Fine without a valid permit | Not stated on the permit page. In February 2024 the DLD fined 30 companies AED 50,000 each for advertising breaches; the release reminds companies that advertising permits and the QR code are mandatory | — |
The honest conclusion: the per-listing figure you’ll see in most blogs doesn’t match the official page, possibly because the page groups several permit types. Budget with the figure your broker sees in the DLD system for that permit type.
There is also a federal fine on top. Cabinet Resolution 42/2025 sets AED 10,000, doubled if repeated, for showing an advertisement without the approval of the authority concerned, or without meeting its conditions (official PDF, Arabic).
Trakheesi vs the Advertiser Permit
They’re different licences and a single ad can need both.
| Compared | Trakheesi | Advertiser Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Dubai Land Department | National Media Authority (NMA), which replaced the UAE Media Council |
| Held by | Broker / developer | An individual |
| Unit | Per property, campaign or event | Per person (free for residents for the first 3 years, then AED 1,000; visitors AED 500 for 3 months) |
| Triggered by | Advertising real estate in Dubai, campaigns included | A person publishing advertising or media content on social media or other digital platforms, paid or unpaid |
| Official name | Real Estate Ad Permit (DLD) | “Permit for an Individual to Provide Advertising or Media Content on Social Media and Other Digital Platforms” (NMA) |
A brokerage page running a paid ad for a listing: Trakheesi. An agent posting the same listing as a reel on their personal Instagram: Trakheesi for the listing and an Advertiser Permit for the agent. Full breakdown in our UAE Advertiser Permit decision tree. Contact for the NMA side: info@nma.gov.ae · +971 800 971.
We found no 2026 rule from the NMA specific to creators advertising property; the Trakheesi obligation above is the one that applies.
Abu Dhabi and other emirates
Trakheesi is Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, real-estate advertising falls under ADREC. Other emirates have their own authority. Same principle: the licensed broker applies; the marketer puts the number on the ad.
How we handle it
- No creative goes live without its permit number in the asset.
- Lead-generation campaigns also need a permit: we ask the broker for it before launch. The properties sent afterwards on WhatsApp come from the broker’s own permitted inventory.
- The broker applies for permits. We don’t, and we don’t say we do.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The DLD/RERA guide requires a permit for any real estate advertisement, electronic ads included. The RERA-licensed broker or developer obtains it from the Dubai Land Department and the permit number must appear on the ad. Agencies and freelancers cannot apply on the broker’s behalf; they place the number on each creative.
Yes. The DLD/RERA Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide 2024 requires a permit for any real estate advertisement or marketing material, including electronic ads and promotional campaigns. Lead-generation campaigns also need a permit; ask your broker. Once the creative names a project, building, unit or price, it also carries that property’s permit.
A RERA-licensed broker or brokerage, through its Dubai Land Department account, or the developer for its own project activity. A broker attaches the marketing contract with the property owner for the permit types that need it. Marketing agencies, media buyers and freelancers cannot apply for it.
Sources disagree. The official DLD page lists AED 1,000 plus a AED 20 fee for ‘other permits’ and AED 5,000 for a project launch event, processed in one working day. Portal blogs quote about AED 220 per listing. Use the fee your broker sees in the DLD system for the specific permit type.
Yes, in practice. DLD Circular 02-2023 requires the QR code on real estate advertisements “whether in print or audio-visual format” from 15 April 2023. It doesn’t name social media, but a social ad is visual: put the QR on every creative where the permit has one.
Related terms
- Trakheesi: the Dubai Land Department system that issues real estate advertising permits.
- Real Estate Ad Permit: the DLD service name for the permit. It covers 14 types, from electronic ads to project launch events.
- Madmoun QR code: the DLD code that lets a buyer check the advertised property’s data. DLD Circular 02-2023 requires it on property ads “whether in print or audio-visual format”.
- RERA: the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the DLD’s regulatory arm that licenses brokers and sets the advertising rules.
- Advertiser Permit: the National Media Authority licence for individuals who post ads from their own accounts. See the UAE Advertiser Permit decision tree.